“Dairy Project success depends on calves rearing”-D.Selvi, SEVAI

Calves rearing in SEVAI -OFI Volunteers Cow project

SEVAI/OFI Volunteers cow project future depends on the successful rearing of calves and heifers. Successful calf rearing is very dependent on the skill, experience and empathy of the stock person looking after the animals. Simple preventative management, observation and understanding are the ingredients that will make the difference between successfully reared healthy heifers. In SEVAI Cow project, Calves are selected from the best cows for faster genetic improvement. The SEVAI-OFI farm manager Ms, D.Selvi enlightened the SHG Women those have cows at homes, “Calves are born after a gestation of nine months. They usually stand within a few minutes of calving, and suckle within an hour. However, for the first few days they are not easily able to keep up with the rest of the herd, so young calves are often left hidden by their mothers, who visit them several times a day to suckle them. By a week old the calf is able to follow the mother all the time. Calves are usually weaned at about eight to nine months of age. Animal Husbandry management begins before birth with correct management of the dry cow, at, and immediately post calving through peri-natal attention as necessary. Calve cows in a clean environment. After the calf is born, it is essential the calf receives its first feed of colostrum within the first six hours of birth. This provides the maternal antibodies necessary to protect it against disease for the first weeks of its life, but these immunological proteins can only be absorbed into the bloodstream within the first 24 hours after the calf is born. Without this passive disease protection it is almost impossible to rear a healthy calf. Care and good husbandry practices through the milk feeding period will prevent and rectify problems, greatly reduce calf deaths and achieve higher production and profitability from healthy, well-grown heifers’-Govin

“Physical activity helps improve a pupils’ educational performance”- SEVAI School

SEVAI Shanthi Matric Higher Secondary School pupils play time

SEVAI Shanthi Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Pettavaithalai of Trichirappalli District gives more importance to physical Education to its school pupils regularly. One of the teachers, Mrs.Janathamani recently spoke to pupils of the School, “Physical activity also helps improve a pupil’s academic performance. Regular physical activity in childhood and adolescence improves strength and endurance, helps build healthy bones and muscles, helps control weight, reduces anxiety and stress, increases self-esteem, and creates interest in studies. SEVAI Shanthi Matriculation Higher Secondary School promotes physical activity through comprehensive school physical activity programs, including recess, classroom-based physical activity and physical education. Kids love to move when they are exposed to creative, well-designed programs during physical education, class exercise breaks, recess and before- and after-school programs. SEVAI School uses all the opportunities during the school day to increase pupils’ physical activity. Physical activity is placed alongside those programs to make it a priority for us as a society. We have an obligation to keep kids active; SEVAI Shanthi Matriculation Higher Secondary School gives importance to physical activity which helps pupils perform better in school. It helps them focus better in the classroom and they behave better in school. This school ensures that physical education is provided to all students in all classes and is taught by qualified teachers. SEVAI Shanthi Matriculation Higher Secondary School also works with Parent teachers association to provide out-of-school-time physical activity programs and share physical activity facilities”. Janathamani further added, “Being physically active is just as important to health as eating right. Children need 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous active play every day to grow up to a healthy weight. That physical activity is good for kids: It not only helps develop muscles and fend off obesity, it also offers opportunities to socialize and learn new skills. To increase physical activity, children need physical education, safe routes to walk and travels to school and access to playgrounds. Children need access to sports leagues and dance or fitness programs that are exciting and challenging to keep them engaged. In addition to being fun, regular physical activity strengthens bones and muscles, increases self-esteem, and provides many other health benefits. Physical activity, along with eating healthy foods, can help children live healthier lives and perform better in school. This school offers physically functional sports for students of all skill levels and make sure that it is free and affordable for all children’.-Govin

SEVAI-SHG Members oriented on the need of clean drinking water and safe sanitation needs.

Sanitary complex constructed by SEVAI

In a seminar organized by SEVAI, SEVAI-SHG Members were oriented on the need of clean drinking water and safe sanitation and discussed elaborately the useful insight on the vital topics of sanitary toilet complexes in a sustainable way to understand the critical need. “Society for Education Village Action and Improvement (SEVAI) makes every effort to create equal opportunities for the marginalized and vulnerable communities by bringing them together, recognizing their leadership potential and helping them realise their economic, social and human rights, thus, bringing about positive and long-lasting changes in their lives.”. Society for Education Village Action and Improvement (SEVAI) strongly believes in local people’s capacity and potential to deal with their own issues, therefore, the organisation works as a facilitator to empower communities. The organisation strategically aims to achieve sustainability in all its initiatives by promoting local leadership, inculcating values of ownership, sharing and mutual cooperation among the target group in the areas of promotion of safe sanitation and drinking water practices, increasing people’s negotiating skills, promotion of life-skill education and creating livelihood opportunities for women and young people. Mrs.P.Vanitha oriented the participants of the seminar, “concerted efforts are still required to eliminate the practice of open defecation. The lack of priority given to safe confinement and disposal of human excreta poses significant health risks manifest in the sanitation challenge facing the nation today. The provision of sanitation facilities through public toilet complexes is the most suitable option for those who cannot afford individual toilets for monetary reasons or due to lack of space, and opt for open defecation. Such complexes are a useful and valuable option where a large congregation of people takes place. The Sanitary Complex fosters the cognitive development of healthy and the scope of this training has been made comprehensive by including several aspects such as safe disposal or reuse of human waste from toilet complexes and extensive guidance on different options for toilet designs with indicative costs, the difference between community and public toilets, and the problems and prospects of sanitary toilet complexes in rural areas “.-Govin

SEVAI Shanthi Matriculation Higher Secondary School encourages pupils in sports and games in School

SEVAI Shanthi Matriculation Higher Secondary School,Pettavaithalai

SEVAI Shanthi Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Pettavaithalai of Trichirappalli District promotes sports, games and play exposure among the pupils of the School. This School principal Mrs.P.Chitra enlightened the importance of sports and games as extracurricular activities of the school. She spoke her co teachers, “Pupils play development fosters the pupils mind and body to grow faster during the first few years of life. The role of play in pupils development is huge, pupils learn though play and friend or experience in play helps another developmental stage which provides imitation skills, social skills, imagination skills all this helps them learn and grow, play provides maths and science concepts, social play provides interaction, cause and effect, engages in conversation skills or s, problem solving could go on all day. The pupils are developing different ways to deal with different situation, they learn to share, time management, socialization etc., they grow because their mind grows along with them and they grow in such a matter that dealing with these issues they tend to mature faster and tend to understand situations such as

Participant's joy

friendship, sharing, and socializing much easier. The most important play for pupils is to play with them. From the early days of the child's life, he/she engages in play and it is one of the most important ways to nurture their development. Play can enable pupils to develop emotionally; this can also be seen through such games, when he can distribute a range of emotions within the play. Play is also a major contributor to child's physical development and it helps their muscular development through any lifting, carrying, stretching or balancing. The various different types of play the students can participate in often can help them to develop in more areas than one. Play is seen by many as an ideal opportunity for the pupils to learn new skills and plays an important part in his life. All areas of your child's development are enhanced through his play activities. The most beneficial play is initiated by the child. The earliest forms of play in childhood are

Kris

functional play. Group constructive play encourages team work and healthy social emotional development as well. Playing make-believe strengthens language skills and aids in proper social development. The pupils gain a strong foundation for learning through play. Pupils play development and learning through play are critical to the pupils health, but many children are playing less these days. Child play development happens because he is continually learning through play and this leads to the growth and maturation of his brain and body. Play is such a part and parcel of child's life that childhood is, virtually, defined by the dominance of play”. Govin

“Affordable Eco friendly sanitation and Toilet Technology is the need of the hour”- M.Subburaman

“Affordable Eco friendly sanitation and

M.Subburman

Toilet Technology is the need of the hour”-to improve the quality of life of poor and needy mentioned by Mr.M.Subburaman, an international repute in the field of Eco-sanitation in a one day seminar organized by South Zone Board of Continuing Education recently in Trichirapalli. Dr.K.Govindaraju, Chairman of South Zone Board of Continuing Education introduced Mr.M.Subburaman and said that Affordable Eco friendly sanitation technology has been promoted by M.Subburaman in Trichirappalli District.K.Govindaraju further said that Mr.M.Subburaman With Chemistry and Education Degrees holder,Mr.Subburaman started working with poor and needy with a comprehensive approach of Development with a special focus on eco friendly toilets and the associated sanitation activities even in mid seventies,M.Subburaman started his service as grass root level development worker and his involvement and dedication elevated him as consultant to several national and international organizations and he travels most parts of the globe and shares his experience working with Eco-Sanitation with like minded personalities. M.Subburaman principally implements in his sanitatory and toilet technology experiments and then only he shares his accomplishment once gets satisfied in the functioning of the eco-san technology and its efficient practice. In a recent meeting organized by South Zone Board of Continuing Education, as guest of honour, Mr.M.Subburaman mentioned, “Appropriate technology means developing a technology suitable to the changing conditions to suit local from open defecation days through pit latrine, twin pit latrine, latrine septic tank and underground drainage system he has  reached the decentralized environmentally friendly Ecological sanitation model. Ecological Sanitation is an integrated and holistic approach to the management of human excreta, utilization of the rich nutrients in both human urine and faeces". Mr.Subburaman also mentioned that Ecological sanitation, also known Eco-San, a sanitation process that uses human excreta and household waste-water as resources to be recovered, treated where necessary, and reused, instead of as waste, Unlike most conventional sanitation methods, ecological sanitation processes human waste as well as sometimes animal waste, and organic kitchen waste to recover nutrients usually for the purpose of growing crops that would otherwise be discarded. Mr.Subburaman narrated, “Eco-San is based on the systematic implementation of reuse and recycling of nutrients and water as a hygienically safe, closed-loop and holistic alternative to conventional sanitation solutions. Eco-San systems enable the recovery of nutrients from human faeces and urine for the benefit of agriculture, thus helping to preserve soil fertility, assure food security for future generations, minimize water pollution and recover bio-energy. They ensure that water is used economically and is recycled in a safe way to the greatest possible extent for purposes such as irrigation or groundwater recharge”. He further enlightened the audience the various advantages of of ecological sanitation systems  such as  Improvement of health by minimising the introduction of pathogens from human excreta into the water cycle, Promotion of safe, hygienic recovery and use of nutrients, organics, trace elements, water and energy, Preservation of soil fertility, Contribution to the conservation of resources through lower water consumption, substitution of mineral fertiliser and minimisation of water pollution, Improvement of agricultural productivity and food security, Promotion of a holistic, interdisciplinary approach  and  Material flow cycle instead of disposal of valuable resources”.  Mrs.Vanitha proposed vote of Thanks.-Govin

Teaching children with intellectually challenged is a rewarding experience.

Play way training imparted by an expert in SEVAI School

“Teaching children with intellectually challenged is a rewarding experience’ enlightened by Vasanthi, a special educator of SEVAI Special School to the normal students teachers of SEVAI Schools.Vasanthi further said, “Each year several babies are born with some degree of mental retardation. The definitions of mental retardation are many. Most of them are correct definition because they cover some parts of the conditions, mental Deficiency; retardation is "a group of conditions which renders the individual unable to compete in ordinary society because of incomplete development." In easier terms this means that mental retardation is the result of an injury or disease of the brain that takes place before, during, or after birth. Pediatricians say that 90% of mental impairment occurs in the prenatal stage. Several persons have chosen to use less offensive terms such as mental disability or developmental disability in lieu of mental retardation. Genetic defects in endocrine functioning, blood incompatibilities, and virus type illnesses in pregnant woman are all suspected of contributing to mental disability. Injury at birth also can cause brain damage. An example of this can be when oxygen is cut off during the birth process. When this happens some of the brain cells are killed. If the brain cells that are killed are those that control intelligence, mental development will be incomplete. Postnatal causes of retardation will fall into one of these three groups: Acute illness, Traumatic events, Progressive Disorders

SEVAI School view

(not recognized at an early age).Any illness that is accompanied by a long lasting high fever can be a cause for brain damage. Severe head injuries and convulsions can also lead to brain damage. Mental impairment is a very broad category that includes people who fiction at several different levels of efficiency. This can mean that both intelligence and physical growth can be affected to some degree. There are several factors that contribute to the classification of an intellectually impaired person. Classifying should be done in Borderline such as Mild, Moderate, Severe and Profound. Mild would indicate an IQ in the 75 to 85 range. Moderate would be those in the 50 to 75 range. Severe would be IQ's from 0 to 50. The National Association for Retarded Children states that this should be the classification: Marginal dependent (educate), Semi-dependent (trainable) and Dependent (Nursing or custodial).The mentally handicapped can be identified by a set of mental, physical, social, and emotional characteristics. Each person does not have each characteristic. Each one will have some degree of learning problems. They will have poor language communication skills, physical handicaps, and illness, lack of motivation, limited experiences, and behavior problems. The term mental retardation is considered a negative term by many disability advocates. Many prefer to use the term mental disability, intellectual disability, cognitive disability, or developmental disability rather than referring to mental retardation”. Govin

Kinder garden outdoor games help kids to develop creative skills.

Outdoor games for kids

In SEVAI Shanthi Matriculation School in Pettavaithali, Kindergarten outdoor games activities are being organized periodically to help show the children the fun side of learning. Outdoor play is important for kids as the increasing amount of indoor activities children partake in may have a negative impact on their emotional, cognitive, social and physical development. Games for kinder garden kids can involve physical exercise, such as racing and tag, as well as nature adventures that teach them about plants and animals. Learning to play outdoor games uses creativity, imagination, cooperation, and brain power by making up new games and participating in sports and games that have been around for decades. Playing outside games can teach a child social skills while releasing stress and forming friendships. Young children learn by using their five senses and movement. So much more can be experienced through the senses when outdoors while expanding a child's imagination. Even short periods in the natural world improve a child's mood and appreciation for our earth. The kinder garden children from playing outside benefit as it develop strong bones, work muscles, and improves mood with prolonged physical activity. Humans need sunlight. Many people are vitamin D deficient and don’t even know it. Playing outside strengthens the immune system. When children play in dirt or touch bugs, they are building up their immune system naturally to things in our environment. We crave friendships for support, learning, and experiencing closeness to others. Children are curious about everything. They learn by exploring and discovering using their five senses. They need opportunities to smell, touch, taste, see and hear different things in our environment including the dirty/messy stuff such as rain and mud. Have children listen for sounds in the stillness. We are part of nature and playing outside develops an appreciation of our earth and the creatures inhabiting it. Childhood memories will be built from making neighborhood friends which creates a sense of community and belonging.-Govin